My circadian rhythm has been off for as long as I can remember. Sleep is essential to healing, and your immune system. I know this.

But how do you turn that train around when you have tried EVERY. POSSIBLE. TRICK?”

Or had I?

Turns out my myofunctional therapist… knows people. When we talked about my breast imaging, and what I was working on, during a Skype appointment, she said she wanted to suggest some reading for me.

“Ok…” I thought. “What could this be?”

Never stop learning.

It turns out the concept of Quantum Health (food, water, light magnetism) – wasn’t super far from what I had been doing… but I was missing some KEY elements of how to measure, and really make the adjustments needed, because I figured I needed to understand how toxic my environment was, to mitigate it. What were my problems? How could I fix them?

It started with reading many blogs by Jack Kruse, and RE-reading them. It was so deep I was looking up words and trying to really get a handle on what was being said. Living in state of confusion most days, this isn’t easy. But the hope is, your mind becomes clearer – and indeed, it has.

While Jack and I don’t share a common foundation of the beginning of the world, I can appreciate his knowledge and foresight on the topics of what our ancestors have done, and what we’re doing differently. I can appreciate learning about what our cells need – and have a deeper understanding of just how we were designed the way were.

FOOD:

Did you know that we were born to be fat burners… and that never changed? It’s true. We were born needing DHA for our cells …. and the only two place to get that DHA – is breast milk, and sea food.

So, we’re designed to be fat burners… what changed? If you’re living in the Paleo realm, then you might know where this is going… because it’s against all of the grains.

We were meant to eat carbs (fruits and veggies) when they were local and in season. We were meant to store up for winter, and then basically eat less, and sleep more. We would end up leaner, as we were designed.

Instead, what do we do? The opposite. We eat a ton in the winter, we don’t sleep more, and most people gain weight… because you’ve got all of these “holidays” in the middle of our lean season.

Most people have been raised and have eaten to be Leptin Resistant, or insulin resistant, because they burn sugar for fuel, instead of fat.

I’m now eating eggs and sardines for breakfast…(yes, for real, this is what my body needs) and sometimes paleo bacon. 🙂 I don’t eat snacks – and I focus on being FAT burning. The first few days were hard – but it’s glorious now – and it makes so much more sense. My liver was having issues – because I have done this to my liver. Sugar for fuel always catches up for us… I don’t really eat fruit any more – occasionally some berries – mid-day. Yes, I’m still eating amount 9 cups of veggies a day, and I’m also eating seaweed, and kelp, and lots of fish. My children still eat our grass-fed beef, some chicken, and fish also.

We have many every food accessible in every season … but is that the best thing for us? Here’s what it taught me – no.

Did you ever wonder why time seemed to go slowly as a child, and quickly now as an adult? It’s because of our telomeres – and how they effect how we age. Read about them here. Being fat-burning is the best for your long turn health – and yes, as they lengthen – time slows down. Amazing, but true.

WATER:

We’re dehydrated. As a nation we’re dehydrated for a few reasons. The biggest reason is EMFs are making us dehydrated, and in order to get a positive charge from our water that our body is needing, we need quality water – like spring water. What do most people drink in this nation? Chemically laden bottled water, and fluorinated water. If you look at fluoride on the periodic chart – you will see it carries a negative charge… so, it’s depleting the body. With the amount of EMFs most people are exposed to daily, we would need to drink 1-2 gallons of water – daily. This is a bit more than the 8 glasses that is suggested.

LIGHT:

We are bombarded by blue light. Our retina is connected to the hypothalamus in our brain – telling our brain, “hey, it’s morning…. or hey… it’s night-time…” Instead, our brain is being told that it’s never night, so our body never needs to make it’s own melatonin.

Most people, in their walk to get well, start supplementing with melatonin. I did.

The problem is, that’s only masking the problem – I needed to get down to WHY my body wasn’t making melatonin, and that had to do with blue-light, and my circadian rhythm.

How much are we told to be afraid of the sun? I’m making sure I’m getting a minimum of 15-30 minutes a day in full sunlight.

Our body needs first morning light IN our eyes to reset our clock. It needs bright light in our eyes during the day. Raise your hand if you put your sun glasses on when you’re outside.

Me too. But I don’t any more. I want my brain to get the right signals! So the first thing I do when I get up in the morning is go outside… look at the sun, and do some grounding.

Which brings me to the last element of this issue…

MAGNETISM:

We don’t spend enough time connected to the earth. If you think about how God designed plants – they are always connected to the earth, and are growing – reaching up to light. While we are mobile, we still need to be periodically connected to the earth – and most people (me included) always has on rubber soled shoes when they’re outside. They’re not sticking their feet in the grass and the mud. They’re not picking up the electrons the need to help de-magnetize their body/cells. It sounds voodoo, but what I’m about to share with you next – is going to start blowing your mind, like it did mine.

Could electricity actually be the major equation on why our body is malfunctioning, in a way that is causing mutations, and an inability to open food proteins? Read this.

We removed our cell phones from our bedrooms about a month ago, to start learning how to NOT have them be the last thing we saw, or the first thing we saw upon waking.

Next, we finally got out the EMF meter I had purchased 6 months ago, before really understanding EMFs. I was doing my devotional one night, and I just had this idea to measure the things in our bedroom. My lamp on my nightstand. It was nothing concerning. My husband’s fan, always placed on my side of the bed.

Off. The. Charts!!!

We promptly removed it from the room.

That night, I dreamed.

I haven’t dreamed in years. I never dream – unless I’m really sick, or pregnant. I just thought it was me.

Clearly that’s a sign that you aren’t reaching the level of sleep you need – where dreams are made and repair to your immune system takes place.

I had slept with a fan (because of my husband) since we were married. Seventeen years.

Picture this. I’m sleeping, and my body is in recharge mode. Only, I can’t recharge – because the fan is literally robbing me of electrons. It’s crazy – but true. I have consistently been sleeping and dreaming for over a week now.

Next, we have been trying to figure out my triggers for narcolepsy. I have been trying to pin point if it was a food – all along. But I thought once I figured the sleep at night issue out, it might resolve itself.

It turns out – I knew I felt bad while driving my vehicle, especially longer distances… I would literally NOT be able to keep my eyes open – and I would need a nap when I arrived. I felt unplugged. Zapped.

Because I was.

It turns out vehicles have various levels of EMFs. The drivers seat is always the worst- and the more bells and whistles, the worse it is also. Sunroof? Power seats and windows? Seat Heater? GPS? Blue tooth?

Yep. Bluetooth actually turns your car into a microwave, just like WiFi turns your house into a microwave. Ever seen a steak cooked in a microwave? The more cell phones tuned into the WiFi – they are like antennas, strengthening the current.

The WiFi we begun shutting off at night, what a difference that has made… and today – we shut our WiFi off. Period.

I can tell you I pick up my phone a lot less – and my body is like…. “Wait. What? Where did THIS energy come from, and where is my chronic headache?”

Then there are a group of people called the EMF refugees. Google that.

While I could bore you more about the dangers of laptops, and dirty electricity, and how the body stops being able to unfold proteins to process food – causing more food intolerances – I’ll spare you today.

Like I said, never give up learning. Life is a classroom… and things aren’t always as they seem.

I will say I cried that first night that I slept. I get pretty emotional when God over runs me with His love and provision, and answer to prayer. Pray for others to have ears to hear. Why have we walked and run so far away from the design He created – in the name of intelligence, moving forward and technology?

We have opportunity to change our environment, and others don’t. Think of work environments, and living arrangements. EMF effects worsen with altitude. Think of those people who fly often – who don’t know how to mitigate these effects. Imagine the close confinements of apartment living, and hotels. Think of how many WiFi routers you can pick up – in any given place you are… then consider the effects.

When is enough, enough?

There are reasons people stop losing weight on Paleo, why dieting doesn’t work, and why our kid’s generation is going to be labeled generation RX…. leading the charge (pun intended) is our environment. What are you going to do to change yours?
If you want to know more about how things like Smart Meters, how your smart appliances are “talking” and constantly sending out signals, and more… read on.

“There is no creature hidden from His sight

but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

Like this:

Actually the last 2 weeks have been a blur, and a nightmare of sorts… one I just wanted to wake up from.

It started 2 weeks ago when I got the results from my 6 months thermogram. I had another TH4 “high suspicious” for cancer spot. Basically nothing had changed from 6 months ago. Back then, I did a sonogram. The radiologist simply found my fibroids (4 main ones in the left bottom quadrant of my left breast). She also found a 6cm mass sort of behind the fibroids, in the general area I had had pain for about a year.

I had begun reading anything I could get my hands on about breast cancer. What type could it be? What further testing would I need, etc.

However, the doctor who read the sonogram didn’t see anything he was concerned about, and told me to come back in another 6 months for another sonogram. Not without trying to get me to do a mammogram.

Let me count the reasons I don’t want to do a mammogram.

Mammograms are known for spreading cancer. It’s just a simple fact that radiation feeds cancer, and mammograms are high on the radiation chart.

Next, they squish your breast in a way that tumors can rupture. So, if there were a tumor or an area of cancer, now you’ve just spilled that into your body.

Finally, the specialists from my last lumpectomy recommended that I not do mammograms, because of the density of my breasts, they would be ineffective. An MRI would be a much better choice.

No. I definitely did not want a mammogram.

So my ND suggested I get an MRI. Right away.

They fit me in the next week, last Wednesday.

I did a little reading and looking at pictures of the MRI machine. I have had an MRI before, but never a breast MRI. This was going to be a joy. When filling out the paperwork the day of, I almost checked “claustrophobic” but at the last-minute I didn’t.

“I can do this,” I thought.

I thought that right up until I was in the toilet paper roll chamber, and my arm was asleep. The kind lady forgot to turn on the music until I was almost half way done. I talked myself out of squeezing the panic button more than once.

Breathe deep. You can do this. God has you.

Soon enough, within 40 minutes, it was over.

I was grateful. I never wanted to have another one of those again.

Thursday my ND’s nurse called because my ND wanted to go over the results with me that morning. Things didn’t work out, and she wasn’t able to talk with me until that afternoon. Odd I thought, but I awaited the phone call while my kids were at soccer practice.

“Well Sara, it’s not good news…” she started. “The doctor called right after your test he was so concerned,” she continued.

Deep in the pit of my stomach, I just knew. I knew something wasn’t right. I had asked my OB about a year ago if it was possible I could have a breast infection in the area of my fibroids because it just felt like I always hurt. She told me it would be rare, and blew me off. Maybe 6 months after that is when I had my thermogram, because the pain and pulling/tingling didn’t go away, i told my husband I felt like I just needed to “pump” my breasts…or clear them out some how.

I changed all of my bras to no underwire, and that seemed to help – some. Any time I wore a push up bra, the pain came back with a vengeance.

The inflammation wasn’t visible on the outside, but clearly – something wasn’t right… and now my ND was confirming for me what I thought all along.

Breast Cancer.

The recommendation was for me to meet with a surgeon right away. But I was conflicted in a huge way.

I’ve studied cancer for a couple of years now… and from what I’ve read:
Cancer, is cancer, is cancer.

It’s a metabolic issue.

It’s an imbalance.

It’s from prolonged inflammation.

It’s not the lump or the bump, but what has caused it that is the issue.

I know the risk of a needle biopsy and I was dead set against it. Spilling 1 million cancer cells into your already struggling system for each needle biopsy taken? No. Just no.

This wasn’t happening. I got all of my resources out. I began weighing my options and pleading with God to show me what to do.
The more I read on invasive carcinoma, the suspected cancer, the more my mind would wander to the possibility of it having spread… through my chest wall, into my lungs, to my struggling liver, to my bones. Was my immune system in such a way it was not repairable? Apparently it wasn’t doing it’s job.

Friday morning i woke up and decided I was not going to take this lying down. I began juicing like crazy, and rebounding, and slathering on the Frankincense, and eating my apricot kernels. I could starve this cancer. God could make it go away.

As we contemplated sending me to Mexico, or what alternative treatments to try, my ND continued to find a surgeon for me to meet with, as the one she first wanted was retiring and no longer taking new patients.

On Sunday when I woke up and had some time with God, He reassured me that He was taking care of things. I was filled with His peace. I was going to be ok. No matter what.

My chiropractor suggested I see a breast surgeon who does a million of these a year, not a few… So I contacted another recent breast cancer survivor and got the name of a good breast surgeon at the state learning hospital for a second opinion, and the first surgeon got me right in.

“Well,” she said. “You certainly are a puzzle, you have me stumped!”

Great, I thought. I love being that one in a million person, always.

She said while the report read a grim reading, she wasn’t sure what the MRI showed was correct. After her examination, and sonogram, she really didn’t feel like she had a specific area to biopsy.

WHAT?

I really hate to just go in there with gun blasting and just start cutting. Too many woman have full-blown mastectomies with no real evidence to show for it.

She was right though. From what I read, some 40% of women under the age of 40 have ductal carcinoma (which is called breast cancer stage 0 or pre-breast cancer, an inflammation of hyperplasia within the milk ducts), which actually means there is extensive INFLAMMATION.

She said she could be wrong, but she would rather wait 3 months and repeat the MRI. Are you kidding me?? I could have LEAPED off of that table and hugged her. She said, “Now I’m not going to say I’m never wrong, so if anything changes, you get RIGHT BACK in here. I’d like to repeat the MRI immediately following your cycle so we can get a more accurate read without hormones involved.”

She listed the ages of other patients with invasive ductal carcinoma…. 26, 32, 43…. around my age. {Why so many young people I wondered? Is part of it our bras? I mean, I KNOW my bras were contributing to the lack of lymph flushing for me. Yes, and the other part is not just hormones, it’s a sluggish liver or congested liver that doesn’t allow the hormones (and other toxins) to be detoxed – so they can cause real issues. DETOX those livers!! Changes those bras, and don’t wear one if and when you can avoid it! Obviously the S.A.D. way of eating is a huge contributor too.}

I don’t know what my face looked like – I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry… but I certainly Praised God. What a gift. It was a rainy day, but I could have skipped out of that building.

Next month is my 40th birthday.

I was feeling like I was going to be spending my summer in Mexico or away from my family to get the alternative treatments I would need to kick this cancer. Now I feel like I have an opportunity to do it – for God to do it… at home.

Juice, rebound, sleep, detox, eat some apricot kernels, repeat.

What am I eating?

Well, I’ve cut out a ton of meat, fat and salt. The three things breast cancer cells feed off of – besides sugar, that I haven’t had in over 2.5 years – is meat, fats and salt. I’m drinking about 8 glasses of raw vegetable juice a day to starve those cells, and eating two huge salads with flax seed oil, sometimes a berry smoothie, and or a piece of fruit. I dropped 8 lbs in a week. (Not trying, it just happened), and I plan to eat meat a couple of times a week (salmon and chicken). The portion should be the size of a deck of cards.

I eat mostly raw, daily steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and did I mention no salt? That’s the hardest part, but it’s worth it. I can’t tell you how much the inflammation has gone down in just a week. Food is amazing stuff. Thanks be to God who created all growing plants!

A good friend of mine asked, “Do you think people will ask how you got cancer with all of the organic food you eat?” I would direct them to the book “Heal Breast Cancer Naturally” By Veronique Desaulniers, MD. Her book has been amazing. She talks about the 7 things that lead to all cancers diet is only part of the deal for total health. When she talked about emotional risk factors, I think I had all of them:

1. Being highly conscientious, caring, dutiful, responsible and hard-working. (To a fault! I would miss sleep, just to make deadlines happen)

2. Someone who “worries for others” and carries other people’s burdens. (this is SO me, and I’ve recognized I need to back away from those who emotionally suck me dry, I am just not strong enough to deal with it any longer. It’s so horrible for my health.)

3. A “people pleaser” with a great need for approval. (I used to really be like this, but I feel like my auto immune issues have helped me speak the truth and not be as willing to compromise for others approval.)

4. Poor relationship with one or both parents, and usually the spouse.(I had a poor relationship for years with my parents, but God mended that. I think it’s easier to mend things when both are willing to mend. I am guilty of just burying hurts from other dysfunctional family relationships, and my heart doesn’t forget even though I’ve forgiven.) My relationship with my spouse is great also, I am blessed in that regard.

5. internalizes toxic emotions like anger and resentment and has great difficulty expressing these emotions. (This is SO me again. God really worked on me with this, and I tried hard to communicate with others who hurt me, but a few traumatic events led to literally give up, and lose hope. When I am forced to be around those people – it literally makes me sick. I’ve talked with my husband and he’s agreed, I just need to avoid those situations at all costs.

6. Unable to cope adequately with stress. (Due to adrenal issue, this is me also. It’s easy to just avoid, avoid, avoid vs. continuing to put myself in a stressful situation!)

So, after reading all of that. I could see how the emotional impact, and not enough rest (from working on our house) was really weighing in on my health. I needed to make some BIG, permanent changes, now.

One of the other interesting things we learned when the surgeon did the sonogram, is that I have a clip left in from a previous lumpectomy. Most of these clips are made of titanium and aluminum… and we already know how well I handle metals. I talked with my mother, and neither of us knew of when it as placed, but I was shocked. I’ve done some reading and I have some great reasons why it might be helpful for me to get it OUT. The fact that it was placed on my left side was even more concerning – because the whole left side of my body is the weaker side when anything happens below the heart.

I will keep you posted, and I’d love to talk more about contributors to breast cancer. I’m so thankful for the diet I have been on for the past 3 years – and just the information that God has continued to place before me. Change is never easy – but if this were given to me 3 years ago, I would have had NO CLUE what to do. I would have probably begged them to start cutting around, and as I one read – if they keep digging, they’ll find something to treat. That IS their business after all. I’m going to work so that they have nothing to find.

Praise be to God. For His peace during this journey!

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.”
Psalm 107:1

Like this:

I enjoyed a talk with my mother the other day. We live almost 6 hours from one another, so Facebook and phone calls are the way we keep our relationship tight-knit. She was talking about her Graph vs. Host disease from her stem cell transplant, and as she was describing to me her struggles, she said, “it’s a connective tissue disorder of some type…”

I empathized with her. As we knew I had some something of that nature, that I’d later relate to all of the auto immune struggles I have. “Oh, that reminds me,” she said. “I bet you have EDS.” Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS)

“Yes mom,” I said. “I know I do.”

It’s one of those things. A name.

I haven’t been “formally diagnosed” – but I have 5 our of the 5 type markers that they look for. Several of my children do too. It’s common with POTS, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a metabolic disorder that basically means people struggle with all of the things your body is supposed to do automatically. Often times people pass out, unexplainable as to why – but I can tell you what makes me better or worse. This is why my blood pressure doesn’t regular when I stand up – and almost pass out, or I can’t tolerate extreme heat, or extreme cold… and it’s probably partly to blame for the struggles my digestive system has.

It’s one of those things I relate to … just like celiac, or MS… but I don’t really talk about. I’m not about “celiac awareness, or MS awareness, or POTS awareness… or even EDS awareness…”

I prefer to know they’re all inter-connected because my body is a system, but they won’t own me.

So at my appointment yesterday I asked my ND if it was ok to never have a diagnosis for some of these issues. I mean, I know what we’re dealing with – and know how the AI process works… is that really important, in the case of some medical emergency? Do my records need to have me labeled? She reassured me that I am doing all of the right things, and that in the event of a crisis situation, that isn’t going to change what someone might need to do to save my life.

I thought so, but it was nice hearing it.

Then she proceeded to tell me a story about another patient of hers with MS. The gentleman has been going to their clinic since the early 80s. When he was told by his good friend and neurologist at KU Med that he had MS. The neurologist said, we can go through all of the testing, and I can give you the drugs – if you want. But they won’t make you better…. in fact, they’ll probably make you worse. You’d be better off to go home and do all of the things your mom told you to do while growing up. Eat right, exercise, get good rest, and take care of your relationships.”

Simple enough, right?

But the story didn’t end there. This was before HIPPA laws were a big deal, and remember, the neurologist and patient were good friends, so the neurologist’s wife called the patients wife, and told her, “You get him down to Riordan Clinic. You learn what good eating means, and figure out what his body is missing.”

That was almost 30 years ago.

He lives symptoms free today.

I love stories like that… Because I know they’re the truth. They give me hope and remind me that I’m on the right path. While I enjoy being in groups for support of the various auto immune diseases I battle – I really am there to encourage others to dig deeper. I’ve met some amazing people, and been able to encourage others. God has helped me build support group to help others learn and encourage one another in this lifestyle that is necessary for me to function.

The name isn’t any diseases… because ultimately that doesn’t make me well. Addressing what my body needs does.

Healthy for Him.

“Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”
Proverbs 3:7-8

Like this:

Happy New Year! I just wanted to give you a quick up date on how things were going with my oldest, and his post frenectomy therapy. He has made a lot of progress, but I know once we get in there to do expanding, things are going to help even more.

Just to give you an idea of what we’re working on, and why it’s so important for his stress, I’m sharing some super informative videos. If you have auto immune disease, adrenal failure, TMJ, jaw pain, grind your teeth, troubles sleeping… just watch it, it’s pretty amazing.

I’ve been considering why I got my braces on – how much sicker I got. You see, most orthodontists, even now, are lining teeth up based on aesthetics alone. They’re looking for a jaw match up -and not considering, “Can this palette house this tongue? Is this going to cause chronic stress on the patient? What about chewing?”

So some things to think about are:

* Are you a mouth breather?

* Do you often wake up in the morning with a dry mouth?

* How is your posture?

* If you had braces – how did your adjustment take?

* Did you have molars removed before adding braces?

*Have you had any chronic headaches or jaw pain?

* Did your mother ever tell you that she had troubles nursing you? (Nipple soreness, poor latch, failure to thrive?)

* Do you get motion sickness or have you had a baby chronically cry in their car seat?

Myofunctional disorders can trigger a lot of issues. Multiple things may have contributed to them, including taking folic acid while pregnant, (vs. methylated folate), as well as genetics and a grain filled diet.

All of this inflammation does contribute to gut health and your immune system. It’s pretty crazy… but true.

Now here is why it’s so important.

Do you see what the red arrow is pointing to? That’s the stress in his neck on a muscle – from straining. It’s because the muscle (his tongue) is so weak… and the front part of his neck to support his airway. This is why he sleeps with his mouth open. If you look at the blue line and arrow – it shows how he holds his head forward to open that airway also, causing a slumped posture.

Now check out his cheesy smile picture (this is part of the file we needed, so no, he doesn’t normally smile this way).

As you can tell, you can see WAY too much of his gums – because his palette is way too small, his tongue also doesn’t fit into his mouth. This was before his procedure, but you can tell how tight his top lip was tied. He couldn’t even shut his mouth! These teeth – look like this after 3 sets of braces, and 2 permanent retainers in, and him wearing his retainer about 85% of the day, and every night. Disappointing, yes?

Well, I’m hoping once we get the appliance in his mouth and start moving forward later this month, I will have some awesome pictures to share with you on his progress. I can tell he’s made a lot of headway, but I know this hasn’t been a lot of fun for him. I’m grateful our functional dentist/orthodontist is working with our youngest of kids so they never get to this point.

It’s been a bit to swallow all of this – financially and emotionally. Something that could have been addressed when he was a week old, vs. all of the trauma we went through with feeding him, and the specialists we saw, etc. As a good friend mentioned to me – it has honestly been a post-traumatic stress syndrome for me. I felt it each time I had another baby and we attempted to establish feeding… and I literally felt it now. All of those emotions came RUSHING back, along with a lot of anger to the hurt people caused.

I wanted to scream at the doctors, and the nurses, and all of the people who were so discouraging to me when my son was an infant. All of the pain I had stuffed inside just came out the night before his procedure, and the day off. (I should have had you pray for my husband! He is such a gift to me!) It was as if I wished they could apologize, or I could get another chance… but I know that is impossible – and nothing would give me back what I have lost, or what he has suffered.

Financially – we’re paying for 3 sets of braces for this kid – now sinus surgery, and getting his lip, tongue and buckle ties released… all of these sessions with the chiropractor at $50 a week. It all adds up, it’s out of pocket and most of it without insurance coverage.

Thankfully – we are able to make it a priority, and afford it… but other things have had to take a back burner. I have several kids with multiple issues we’re trying to address – and then there is me. It’s been a little difficult to juggle all of this – but God keeps me strong, and positive. He definitely gave me my husband for a reason.

It frustrates me that western medicine and conventional dentists/orthodontists don’t look at the function of people to help heal them. I’m so grateful to God for this journey though. I can’t say that enough.

I remember praying and telling God that I would share this with the world – anything I learned – because I knew it was Him who continued to save me during the process of realizing how sick I was. I don’t usually talk about my struggles anymore, to just anyone – unless I know someone else has similar things that can empathize. Most people who haven’t experienced that utter shut down of their body, simply can’t (and often don’t want to) understand.

They have a body that regulates temperature, and blood pressure, and digestion. I do not. They eat more than 5 foods and don’t have to consider so many food issues for their family.

What I do have, is… I have a heart for people now – and I recognize that I used to push away what I couldn’t empathize with before. So many people have struggles we can’t see, and I didn’t think that way before.

Thank you God for not pushing me away and helping me to wake up and see the Truth.
It’s the second day of the new year… and more importantly, it’s a new day! Praise God for that gift. What are you going to do to be Healthy for Him this year?

Pray for our up coming appointment with our current orthodontist. I’m unsure of what we need to do next. I’m not sure how much he believes in this process. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, as he said himself that 30% of his patients have issues with the result not “staying” and needing a permanent retainer. That’s a significant number…

“Behold, I am doing a new thing: now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Isaiah 43:19

This is a thermography camera. Not scary at all. Nothing touches you – nothing hurts you, or causes cancer, like mammography.

I’ve made great strides since we last met. God has been working on my heart, and mind and helping to show me new ways He created to heal myself.

First, myofunctional therapy. It works.

I’ve learned to keep my mouth closed at night – through the various exercises I’m doing with my children. At first, I thought it was a fluke… but a week later, I knew it was for real. I was a believer. My son has his appointment next month to get his tongue and lip untied as well, and after the first of the year – we’ll be looking at being expanded and braces… together. I think our orthodontist finally gets that this isn’t about looks – as much as it is oxygenating our bodies, and restoring our health – for now and the future.

Check out how much MORE air is moved through your nasal cavity at night, while your mouth is closed. God has a purpose in warming and filtering that air also.

Secondly, I talked to my ND about LND (Low dose Naltrexone – compounded), and Alpha Lipoic Acid. They work together to help keep the stress I can’t control from taking over my health. This couldn’t have happened at a better time. I had been considering it for a long while – as the results with helping those with MS were pretty significant. Within the first week, I noticed the back spasms I’ve had for years – were gone. I’m about 3 weeks into it now – and they are still gone. Praise be to God. I’m on a low dose now – and I’m thankful that is working. It’s a good sign – because as we all know, we simply can’t control all of the junk going on around us, and that really tanks my adrenals and my immune system.

Thirdly, after watching most of the Truth About Cancer series, I started taking Fulvic acid. There is plenty of info out there, but here is a small bit of the benefits. The doctor who shared about it said in all of this 8000 patients, he had never had a negative reaction to it. That gave me a bit of hope – as I seem to react to everything. So far, so good! The doctor said he didn’t want it sound like a ‘Magic Bullet” or too good to be true – but I’ll admit – I’ve noticed a boost in energy, and my kids have seemed more level on it. Not only does it gives your body essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids, it binds to toxins, and works as a chelator to metals and other things you don’t want inside of you. The other cool thing is, it could have only been created in nature by something “like the flood”. 🙂 God knew we were going to mess things up, and He allows us a way to restore! Praise be to Him.

Lastly, I had my thermography appointment in the midst of “breast cancer” awareness month. I’ve noticed some changes in my left breast, and because I’ve had fibroids in the past – I just thought it would be smart to check up on things, for my future health.

The test was relatively simple, with the most difficult part being sticking my hands in ice cold water as a “challenge” to see if the spots in question still show up as being “fed”. I was to get my results within a few weeks, and if everything was normal, I wouldn’t need to speak to the doctor. I set my “phone appointment” – with the intent to cancel if all was well.

The weeks came and went… and I didn’t hear from my doctor.

I knew something had to have been in question – and deep down, I think I knew something was there all along.

Last week my ND confirmed my thoughts… My fibroid showed up on the right side, and on the left side, near my other fibroid, there is an area in question, being fed vascularly.

She requested I get a sonogram, and I can’t remember much else she said after that…

I had some questions… we talked about my past issues on that side…

I always struggled with mastitis due to dense breast tissue, scar tissue and being lumpy. Before my test, I thought maybe I was dealing with non-lactating mastitis… that maybe some underlying infection in my breast was causing issues.

As I talked through things with my ND I became acutely aware of how I got to where I was.

My lack of regular cycle stemmed from not absorbing the right nutrients in my early teens and loading my liver with estrogen from the fake hormone therapy (BCP) at high levels.

The BCP never solved things with my irregular cycles and contributed to the massive, fast growing tumors I had from ages 15 to when I went off at age 23 when married.
Having those 3 breast surgeries, to remove fibroids, led to scar tissue and combined with the lumps and poor diet, led to chronic mastitis.
That chronic inflammation and antibiotic cycle continued to break down my gut, thyroid and immune system.

Thyroid dysfunction is essential for cancer to grow.

So my chiropractor happened to ask me “when” I would get off of the Estro-DIM I was on. I didn’t have an answer… I assumed I would be on it … indefinitely. He said, “but when your liver is functioning well, you should be able to get that out of your body. You should be able to go off of it”

The wheels were turning, but I still wasn’t getting it.

So basically this estrogen, that continues to cycle and ramp up in my body is causing cancer to be fed in my left breast, and as my ND said, “We need to get that estrogen – OUT!”

So… I set my appointment for a sonogram this week to see exactly what we’re looking at… and we’ll go from there.

My chiropractor suggested another saliva hormone (cortisol test) to see where my estrogen levels are. If they’re still sky-high – perhaps an estrogen inhibitor for a time while I’m detoxing – could help me get over the hump. Clearly my body hasn’t done it on its own yet. I appreciate health-care providers who help weigh your options, and really do “get” natural healing.

I am not scared, I am thankful for the gift of this information, and the opportunity to help my body be well.

I know I’m in better shape than most. Tackling a new diet doesn’t need to happen… but increased detoxing does. Staying the course with de-stressing, exercise and sleep. (Ok, so I still need more sleep!)

I’ve increased my juice in-take, been working on resolving negative emotions from relationships that destroy, and purposefully avoiding those who are toxic to my health. (Yes that’s number one when disease appears – negative emotions and stress destroy your immune system).

I know we all deal with things differently. What works for some, doesn’t work for others… I’ve learned over the course of the past three years, it’s easier for me to just not talk about things openly until I have a plan. “Checking in” with people stresses me out. I knew writing this all out would help me. My mom and husband and kids know – and kids said this. “I’m not a afraid mom, because I know that God will show you what to do.”

They are right.

Not only that? But a thermography shows more than a mammogram would have … maybe for years. So I must assume I’m ahead of where I might be otherwise.

Like this:

I’ve been a terrible blogger lately. It’s really not you, it’s me. As much as I cut out of my life to prepare for this crazy busy soccer season and preparation to build a new home, blogging just had to take a back seat.

I wanted to update you all on my first round of Fluconazole, how my son’s sinus surgery went, as well as how our Myofunctional Therapy is going along! It’s been a busy end of summer at our house!

First off, the Fluconazole did help. Not enough for me to eat raw veggies… but enough to notice a change in distention after eating. MUCH improved. We’re talking about round two starting soon, but I definitely want to try it again. I’ve been more consistent daily with my juices to start my day, and keeping my meat portions in check. More recently I’ve gone back to keeping all raw fiber out of gut, so only cooked veggies, avocado (1 a day total) and well cooked meats – mainly salmon, chicken, and turkey – with some red meat (Grass fed and finished beef). I’ve also been studying some on parasites, and cleanses with that. I ordered SA Wilson’s coffee for this.

My son’s surgery went fabulous, as did this healing period. The only issues we had were with recovery in the surgical center. The medical reports (yes, we got them!) said that the surgery went well and he woke up and went to recovery. We ended up waiting almost an hour following surgery, to get to see him. He had to be put on oxygen for about 4 hours because the nurses had drugged him with Demerol, an old drug they used to use in the 70s. Not cool. Especially considering we talked in length with the anesthesiologist about his adrenal issues, inability to methylate narcotics, etc. She totally understood. She actually came in following surgery and said… “mom was riiiiight.” So we’re fairly certain it wasn’t her that gave the orders for that. Meanwhile, we he also had an allergic reaction to one of the other medicines they gave him… Still we have yet to get the paperwork on this situation to figure out what we need to be aware of. THAT has been frustrating and is just one of my many beefs with the whole western medicine bullying that can occur. Clearly you have a right to the records and information – you are the patient. Especially on an allergic reaction, you need those records to be informed for your health future.

Our family Skype classes start Wednesday with our therapist. I’m excited. We got our kits with all of the toys for class, we took all of the “before” essential pictures, and we got our binkis to start doing our muscle therapy during “zone out time” at home. Our orthodontist still doesn’t seem quite sure what to think… but as the therapist said, some people you just have to “show” for them to get it. (One of the suggested books is: Close Your Mouth)

I’ve managed to have a sinus attack with our weed pollen counts through the roof in Kansas, followed by some type of virus that went through our family. Pertussis has been pretty thick throughout the county, so it could very well be that… you know us though, definitely NOT afraid of the promoted and highly exaggerated “big, bad wolf.” The kids keep asking when they are going to start coughing. We’re wondering if with supplements and our diets – if this just won’t be an issue. The mucous is super thick – but with high levels of Vitamin C, increased probiotics, vitamin D and fish oil – we seem to be faring well.

That’s about it for me. Our trip did do me in, as traveling and all of that jazz always does. I’ve struggled to get back on track with juicing and having issues with “C” that leave me throwing up because I’m so full. I really hate that part…

This time when I left, I found myself missing “home” and family even more. There is something about being with people who just get you, who are a support system, they encourage and love you. When I said good-bye to my mother she held on long and cried deep. I wondered in my heart what it must feel like to know you’d never just “hang out” with your daughter again… how afternoons together, grabbing a movie or a meal wouldn’t be possible because they simply lived too far away.

Not just for a season, but forever.

My acupuncture read out said that I was struggling with stress, and “a broken heart.” Couldn’t have been more spot on.

Thanks be to God for the burdens and heartache He carries when we can’t.

“The Lord is close to the brokehearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Psalm 34:18

I think we’ve worn a path to our doctors offices almost 3 hours away from our home, but I’m delighted to report, I believe we’re making some progress.

On my own health front, I have been struggling a bit with some type of hormonal imbalance that I’m guessing is affecting my thyroid. I made some poor choices about a month ago, and yes… I’m still paying for them. They were sweet potato chips with coconut oil…. and coconut oil doesn’t like me. A little bit one day, and little bit more another day… and the next thing you know – I was eating way too many chips that I shouldn’t have been having in the first place and ending up in a lot of pain.

My reactions to coconut oil aren’t as bad as coconut flour… so I lied to myself and thought I could handle it. But, as with any food that causes AI reactions… it catches up with you, and it’s never worth it. By God’s grace, we weren’t able to get the chips for several weeks (and I believe they are still out of stock), so that helped me get back on the right path.

Because of all of that I gained (almost overnight) about 5 pounds – that I can’t seem to shake either. This is why I believe thyroid problems are to blame for so many issues that women struggle with concerning weight. They can cut calories and increase exercise – and still continue to struggle. But if their thyroid is off = due to a leaky gut, high cortisol (stress) levels, poor sleep (inability to stay asleep due to airway obstruction or other hormone issues) – all parts play a role. Most often, people take sleep meds for something that doesn’t really help balance anything or get to the root cause of the issues for long-term health.

So with that, I’m back on track… and not planning any less-than-intelligent moves in the near future.

On top of that, after a recent visit to my naturopath, we opted to try Fluconazole to help nip my SIBO in the bud for good. It was a 10 day dosing schedule, and we might have to do more – but after being on AIP for over a year, and trying every natural help I can… I figured this was worth a shot. The down sides to the treatment (other than what is in the pill, including RED food coloring – WHY?) was a chronic headache that I had all waking hours. I imagine some of that is from detoxing whatever bacteria was dying… but by day 6 I did feel like my bloating was improved.

Now I’m about a week out of my last dose, I can’t say it’s cured that bacteria 100%, but I’m improved dramatically, and with less pain after eating. Our goal is for me to be able to eat raw vegetables again. It’s the little things in life. 🙂 We’ll probably try another dose next month. I’ll keep you posted.

So, combine all of that with a bit of added stress recently with taking on a new house project, with a heavier workload as we gear up for busy time in retail and prep for school, which equals less sleep, and my son having sinus surgery (more on that later), I know my cortisol levels, rest and exercises aren’t where they need to be. It all matters.

On that note, I better run. I have a trip to pack for, a follow-up appointment, an ad to create, 2 sessions to work through and I need to magically make a 6 year old’s birthday party happen before we leave in 3 days.

If there is one thing that I’ve learned about my health over they years, it’s that restoring your health isn’t an over night process. There is no magic pill that will fix it, no “one-size-fits-all” answer…

That said, there are common threads in healing, and it starts at getting to the source of a problem. While reading “The Paleo Approach” book, she talks about how getting your auto immune symptoms in remission, or under control, really depends on your compliance to your route.

I’ve read lots of things that talk about healing MS or other autoimmune diseases, only to NOT talk about an auto immune protocol diet.

Going gluten isn’t mentioned… or being grain-free, or dairy-free… or refined sugar-free… and those are the top 3 things that have to be completely eliminated. Slowly but surely… we’ll get there. (But how many people suffer in the process?)

I recently read a commentary on the Paleo Mom Community Facebook page, where someone said the Mayo Clinic actually advised this person to go “Paleo” for autoimmune disease. “They are big believers of the Paleo diet and advised me to change my lifestyle.”

That surprised me.

I mean, I know it’s true – but you know things are changing if Mayo is starting to pay attention.

While I don’t necessarily like the word “Paleo” – It works – it’s the easiest way to explain to people what it’s like to eat REAL FOOD and to focus on a nutrient dense diet and it’s recognizable by many people…

I think when Paleo doesn’t “work” – there are more food sensitivity issues that need to be addressed.

Sometimes there are also other things that need to be looked at as well… that aren’t diet related. Sometimes they’re toxins, sometimes they’re structural, and it’s crucial – and you have no clue.

I mentioned a few months ago about my oldest son “tongue thrusting” and being a mouth breather, and the issues that has caused over the years. I’m sure maybe you thought, how much does that really matter? (Read this and find out!) Honestly, I had no clue either. Our entire family finally met with our Orofacial Therapist to discuss what we need to look at for the kids and myself, and we also had an appointment for our oldest son, who takes first priority with this whole issue.

After much discussion, and evaluation of 5 of the kids, it was determined most have the same issues – deep tongue tie, many had lip and buckle ties, and some type of breathing restriction as well.

She shared about her own kids, and her and her husband’s struggles … and I heard a lot of the similar issues we’re battling. I’ve read enough to know if you have a poor sleeper, or a child with speech issues, a child with ADHD personality traits, a slow grower, a poor immune system… on and on – it’s worth looking into. THIS could be a missing link to helping to restore your child’s (or your own) health. Read more about Orofacial Myological Disorders here.

My son has adapted well… I will admit that… but it’s also a huge burden lifted to hear someone who “gets it”… that this needs addressed, and why. It also gives me great hope that we can DO something for him, so he and the others don’t end up in the position I’m in health-wise.

So we went from the Therapist, to the ENT, and weren’t there very long before we knew surgery was going to be D1’s best option. He needs a Septoplasty surgery to fix his deviated septum, and they will be removing his adenoids as well. Oh boy.

So… here’s the long-term goals for revising his tongue thrust and restoring his health:

1. We get him a hole to breathe out of to stop the airway obstruction: Septoplasty, and allow him to heal from surgery (About a month).
2. We do a laser procedure to release his tongue and lip tie, and start therapy which will include regular therapy with deep tissue massage to release a lot of the issues that are currently embedded into his cranium (Functional Cranial Release), neck and shoulders.
3. We look back into expanding his palette, and braces.

Now because this hits home for myself so much… You know I’m excited to get started on myself as well… I hold all sorts of incredible stress in my neck, and see a chiropractor regularly for adjustments to help me with pinched nerves and my son is the same way. I’ve always struggled with my posture… I didn’t know why. I get a little giddy for HIM just knowing how much better he will begin to feel when this is all said and done!

So how will we eat this elephant?One. Bite. At. A. Time.

D1’s biggest delight is that his surgery will be in the next 30 days, so he will be able to place high school soccer at a new level this year. I can only imagine how much faster he will run when he can BREATHE! Praise be to God for this journey and His leading!

“My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless…”

Just one of my green juice choices this week. Cucumber, Lemon, Celery, Cilantro, and Spinach!

I celebrated my 39th birthday last week. Well… sort of.

My kids forgot, my husband wasn’t far behind that… and well… it was just another day of baking, laundry and my chores.

The day after, my daughter asked, “Is this day better than your birthday?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“That’s NOT good,” she touted.

I simply told her that my joy isn’t all set on one day like it used to be.

Expectations… disappointments, letdowns.

No thanks.

I choose the grateful road… and I’m much happier that way.

I was much happier on my birthday when I got a nap too.

All in all, I’ve noticed that certain people with disease choose a path of victim, and others choose a path of active determination.

I’m not sure why that is. Is it our nation? Is it something promoted to us from an early age?

We can either say, “THIS happened to me…” or blame something on our genes, with our options of lifetime drugs, and not accountability…

OR

We can say, I’m going to dig deeper! I’m going to find out just why and how God made me the way I am…. and where I went wrong, and what I can do.

To me, it’s called responsibility.

It’s MY responsibility to take care of my body. To feed it what it needs. To find out why it’s not absorbing something specific and do what I can. To realize what I’m choosing to expose myself to, and avoid those things that aren’t helping me be well.

There is going to be plenty that isn’t in my control… and for the small portion that God gives to me to accountable for… I’m going to work with Him to learn, grow and realize there are many things I CAN do to help myself.

There are reasons disease happens. Multiples reasons. Diet, exercise, toxicity, stress, sleep…. genetics are often a small fraction of the equation, and even then – we can work with what we have to do the best for the body we’ve been blessed with.

Healthy for Him!

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power.

After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Unfortunately, I don’t have any GOOD bacteria either…and I had meat (undigested in my stool).

Gross. I know. But it’s my reality.

So how does THAT happen?

Well, in my process of preparing for the test – I had to stop taking my enzymes, any probiotics, and HCl (the stomach acid helper). In the mean time, we went on vacation… I stopped taking my MSM… I got a little lazy and was eating some sweet potato chips, with coconut oil, which I”m not supposed to have because it causes reactions… and I started eating some raw veggies… carrots, cucumbers… a few radishes.

BIG Mistake. BIG. HUGE.

As of recent I had been battling the every day morning “I think I’m going to throw up I’m so full in guts” feeling. I got a stomach bug early this week – which emptied my entire body of any food contents that might have thought about sitting, and other than wishing I didn’t have to throw up beet juice, I was just THANKFUL to not feel so sore, and sick.

I knew my stomach was emptying slowly. I didn’t really consider THAT was my main problem. I knew it led to other bacteria issues… I figure THAT had to be the main problem… and maybe it was – before the treatments I did.

But now? After getting the results back from my stool test… and knowing the SIBO is gone, and candida isn’t an issue… and there are no parasites…

and some more research on gastroparesis….

I realize now – this is more serious, and I need to get more specific before I end up on a complete liquid diet.

I’m happy to report I’m bouncing back from my Iowa trip, and adding MSM in has helped my inflammation a ton (as has getting rid of the sweet potato chips – boo-hoo!)

I spent some time being real with myself, and figuring out a plan because this is serious, and it’s not going away.

I have to say I’m SO glad I did the most recent elimination diet from this book. It helped me get to this point to see why and what was making me bloat. While I focused on trying to eat 2 meals a day, and a smooth in the AM (more recently) – in an attempt to encourage “cleansing waves” for my digestion process… I’m realizing now that approach isn’t going to fix my gastroparesis.

In fact, it’s going to make it worse. While the well cooked foods, and types of foods are GREAT to encouraging healing… SMALLER, more frequent meals are required.

I’ll admit. I had some tears over it.

Realizing that fiber from raw vegetables and fruit simply aren’t an option, and that juicing and well cooked smaller meals like I ate before, are going to be consuming most of my summer wasn’t exactly where I was hoping to go with this.

Selfishly I was thinking we’d be on track to targeting a bacteria, and be able to move forward… away from the chronic pain that has plagued me for a majority of the past 3 years.

You know how when you are in a pit… and God just lifts you up?

Once again, God doesn’t disappoint.

While researching my newest plan, and awaiting my doctor’s input… I was SO encouraged by this short video by an 18-year-old from Canada who shared how SHE healed her gastroparesis… after going through a wild goose chase with western medicine. She talks about several things that I’ m already doing, and a few I’m interested in trying, or getting more serious about. Specifically acupuncture more regularly. I’m going on Tuesday.

I also watch this video on what to eat for gastroparesis, and she had her top 10 things to do… again, most of them I’m doing, but it had some great insight. One of the things I KNOW effects me (and literally made me laugh out loud!) is “eat in a calm environment.” Sorry. That’s not going to happen any time in the near future anyway, and I know stress is a big problem – I’m fighting regularly to keep under control, and at a manageable level.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. Please don’t pity me. I am encouraged and hopeful. Our BIG GOD is a healer – and I’m focused on what He’s doing in me through this process. Healthy for Him.